The Legend of Zelda: Darkness Rising
by spooty89
Summary: A young man with no memory comes to Hyrule from the south. Who is he? Even he doesn't know for sure. Death seems to follow him in his wake. Is the darkness closing in on him... or is he it's source? 1st fan fic. Please R&R.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Snow lay as a blanket upon the ground, the torrential downfall continuing as the day's light cast its final rays through the haze that hung over the horizon. The wind blew, harsh and biting, over the vast mountain range where a sole figure trudged onward, battered by the elements. The figure pulled tight around itself a tattered black robe, barely thick enough to alleviate the harsh conditions its user endured.

Hands failing to grasp at the fabric, the being's cloak tore from its grasp, revealing a young, gaunt, weary looking man. He pushed his long blond hair from his face as he scanned his surroundings: snow covered mountains beyond snow covered mountains met his gaze. His naturally striking features hid under a mask of exhaustion, yet even that mask could not conceal the look of despair that crept into his sharp blue eyes for a moment. He quickly pushed his emotions away, knowing even emotions could consume a portion of his fleeting energy supply.

He trudged onward, heading north. He knew not where he headed but held onto the belief that wherever his journey ended, it surely could not be any worse that the place he had come from, even if he found his destination to be the grave. How long he kept walking he could not say. Every moment seemed like an eternity. Each step left him winded. Where he now walked he could not say either. He walked without thought, without emotion, without hope.

Abruptly, the wind changed direction, blasting him from behind and sending him tumbling head over heals down the remainder of the mountain. He lay there for what seemed like a lifetime, knowing his final hours, minutes, perhaps even seconds were upon him. Something whipped over his head, flapping in the wind. With what little strength he had left, he lifted his head from the warm snow and saw his cloak sailing away from him and, to his amazement and despair, toward a gigantic village no more than 300 meters away. Beyond the village, he saw the faded outline of several colossal towers.

He clawed at the snow, begging his hands to cooperate with his command to continue onward to no avail. He could go no further. His left arm involuntarily stretched forth toward his would-be salvation, his hand grasping at the air. A burning sensation crept downward from his left hand, filling his entire body with an unnaturally calming warmth.

Clouds filled his eyes. Ringing filled his ears. As his lids began to close, he swore he saw a bright light begin to radiate forth from his body.

The light engulfed him and he knew no more.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

'What's going on? Where am I?' He opened his eyes, only to close them an instant later; they burnt with an unusual intensity. His head throbbed, every heart beat increasing the pressure, making him feel unbalanced. Every hair on his body stood on end, sending shivers up and down his spine. Every muscle on his body ached. And his left hand... why did it burn so?

He knew not where he lay, only that whatever he lay upon possessed a quality of softness that was as foreign to him as the air that he breathed. A noise, barely audible but loud enough for his sharp senses to pick up. It sounded like┘ he could not remember, but he had heard that sound before. Whatever it was, it made a muffled clicking noise.

'Get away,' he said to himself, 'hide.' He made to lift himself but his body refused to comply, so he lay there quietly.

'My first reaction is to hide... why?' More questions without answers.

The sound grew louder and other sounds accompanied it, creaks and groans. It was right beside him. Something touched his forehead... a hand? Yes, that was it. Whose?

Unable to bear the unanswered questions, he forced his eyes open for a moment. He caught a glimpse of a brightly lit room made of stone and wood, then his eyes came to rest on a heavyset man with whose hand tested upon his forehead.

His breathing slowed. His eyes shut. Hustled movement could be heard as the man scrambled away from him. There was ringing. There was light. Then there was nothing.

* * *

Voices.

"Did he say anything to you?" Her voice, for he knew it to be a woman's voice, radiated composure and intensity.

"Not a word, mum." Ah, the large one. The one whose hand he had felt on his head. His voice was deep and carried with it a soothing quality, like whatever it was he rested upon. "He just looked at me for a moment an' then..." his voice trailed off.

There was a pause and then the woman said, "I see... you say you just found this boy when?"

"Um, three days. He was lying in the snow a good ways away from the town entrance."

"I find your story a bit hard to believe."

"Why's that?"

"I don't think you would have been able to spot this boy three days ago, if he was as far away from the town as I've heard you say he is. The snowfall that day was horrendous."

The man gave a little chuckle, "Well, I promised I wouldn't bring you here for nothing and this is what's going to make it worth it. This is how I found him."

Rough hands grabbed his left arm and gingerly pulled it out from under the cloth that lay upon him. His hand was grasped placed palm down on the cloth. His ears caught an audible intake of air. The room hung in silence for several moments.

"How is this possible?!" The woman cried, all composure thrown aside,"Why were we not informed sooner?!"

"To be honest, I didn't think he was going to survive through the first day. Once he did, I knew moving him to a different location too soon could be hazardous, so I took care of him until he regained consciousness. Even though he only was conscious for a moment, I knew he would be alright. He's quite the resilient fellow."

"You still should have at least informed us of the existence of another within these walls!" she yelled. Several deep breaths could be heard.

"I wouldn't say too much more, mum." he said.

"Really, why's that?"

A pause. "Because he's listening to us."

Several moments of silence. Movement. A pinch on his arm. His muscles relaxed. His mind grew foggy. The noises faded.

Ringing.

Light.

* * *

Editor: 

Sorry, I know it's moving slowly. I promise I will pick up the pace soon but I want to set up the story for what is to come. I think you're all going to enjoy what I have planned :)


	3. Chapter 2

**To whoever is reading this, thanks for reading my fan fiction. This chapter will hopefully give you some insight as to where this story is going. It may seem clear to some what is going to happen after this but let me tell you, I'd be shocked if anyone can guess what I've got planned. Please leave me some responses, even if you've already done so for previous chapters. It's nice to know what I write isn't falling on deaf ears (although I guess your ears aren't really reading this... blind eyes might be the best way to put it ;). Please let me know what you think. **

**mattbb987**

* * *

Chapter 2

Time stood still. There was no sound. He was not there… and yet somehow he was.

Blood.

'Why is there so much blood? The people… who are they? Why are they drenched in blood? Why do they look at me that way?'

Their eyes were barely open, giving them a quality of lifelessness not unlike that of a corpse. A black liquid oozed forth from their open mouths. Their breathing could now be heard, slow, deep, and ominous.

'Where am I?'

He walked from one person to the next; their eyes followed him. As he approached them they parted, a single path becoming available. At the end of the path there stood a single person, a woman, her head cast down.

He walked to her. Still she refused to look at him. Her hair hung in strands. The blood coating her was fresh. He reached out and tilted her head back so he could see her face. Her eyes were shut, but he saw her for who she was.

"I know you…" the words escaped his mouth, but the sound of his voice was foreign to him. 'How do I know her?' For some unknown reason a knot of dread formed in his stomach. His voice barely emitting even a whisper, he asked, "Who did this to you?... to all of you?"

Her eyes opened. They were sad eyes, devoid of hope, devoid of love,… devoid of life. They pierced through his mind, sending a familiar pounding feeling throughout his entire body. Every nerve stood on end. He wanted to cry out, the pain overwhelmed him so, but he couldn't. He collapsed and blackness oozed forth from every pore on his body. With each heartbeat, his body pulsated as the black liquid escaped and the pressure on his mind increased. She bent down, her sad eyes still fixed upon his pitiful form, and whispered into his ear, "You did."

Mustering all of his energy, he croaked a single question as the liquid began to flow from his mouth, "Is this who I really am?"

A sad smile formed on her face. The black liquid filled his eyes.

There was Screaming.

There was Darkness.

* * *

His eyes shot open and he gasped for air. His lungs were on fire. Pushing himself to an upright sitting position, he took in his surroundings: he found himself sitting on a bed in a tall, brightly lit room with an arched ceiling and a single, gigantic, stained glass window that took up nearly the entirety of the wall to his left. Light streamed through the massive window, throwing a green light on him and various other colors throughout the rest of the room, which he concluded was a hospital ward due to the medical instruments which lay on tables to either side of him. There was also a chair to his left side that seemed out of place, for it was far to elegant for its surroundings. Other than himself, the room was vacant.

He began to lay back down, but noticed that the bed which he had been laying on was completely drenched in his own sweat, as was the sheet that rested on him. He peeled the sheet from his still moist body, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and made to stand, only to catch himself on the medical table as his legs gave out from under him.

'What's wrong with me?' he thought as he struggled to push himself to his feet and stumble back to the damp bed. His erratic breathing frightened him, as did his quivering limbs. Propping himself against the headboard of the bed, he assessed his physical status. He appeared to be fine with no gouges or lacerations to account for. Why, then, did the slightest physical exercises leave him pained and exhausted? More questions.

'Who was that girl anyway?' he wondered. No answers.

An pair of large wooden doors to his left opened as men in armor, wielding swords, marched in. His muscles tensed, then relaxed as a wave of exhaustion swept over him again. They were in a circular formation with someone in the middle, someone lacking armor, that he could not see clearly. The soldiers stopped at the foot of his bed, still holding formation, still holding their swords. The soldier closest to him, by far the most elegantly dressed, stepped forward.

'General,' he thought to himself, not knowing where the word came from.

The General then did something he didn't expect him to do; he saluted him and said, "Sir, I present to you Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda till Hyrule."

Stepping aside, the General ordered his men to break formation. His mind barely registered the movement of the soldiers as they formed two lines on either side of the figure in the middle; his eyes were transfixed on _her_ face. Her face, her eyes... they were different but there was no doubt in his mind: she was the one from his dream. She walked to his left side, smiling at him as she approached, and sat on the chair.

'Her eyes...' he thought to himself, 'They're so unlike the eyes of that girl from my dreams. These eyes have life in them. Yet... they're the same.'

"It is an honor to meet your acquaintance, Triforce bearer." She then paused, as if waiting for him to respond.

'What the hell is she talking about?' he wondered, tired of the questions coming with no answer to accompany them.

After several awkward moments of silence passed she asked, "Will you be so kind as to tell me your name?"

He made to answer, "My name is... it's..." but no name came to mind.

'My name... my name... it's such a simple question, surely there must be a simple... all questions and no answers...'

Air escaped his lungs, he grew dizzy, and once again he found himself saying, "I don't know."

* * *

**So, what do you think? I think it could have used a bit more attention to detail, but I didn't want to put you all to sleep with a lack of story progression. Please respond even if you've responded to one of my previous chapters. I need to know if I'm fulfilling your expectations or if you want me to change my approach. Till next time, may your sword (or pen, if you prefer) always strike true! **

**mattbb987**


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